Publications List

Comprehensive listing of books, reports, and research on regional cooperation and integration (RCI) in South Asia and relevant global RCI publications, including publications on transport, trade facilitation, energy, and economic corridors in the SASEC region.

Growth forecasts for developing Asia stand at 5.8% in 2019. South Asia is still the fastest-growing subregion in developing Asia, while 2019 forecasts are revised down marginally at 7.1%. Bangladesh maintains its growth momentum with the expansion of exports and remittances. Growth in Bhutan has moderated while tourist arrivals grew strongly in Maldives. India exports are increasing along with the country’s industrial and agricultural output. GDP in Sri Lanka grew by 3.7% amid revived private consumption. In Nepal, exports surged by 16.1% while remittances grew to a record $2.1 billion.

The report looks at international trade and analyzes how digital technologies will reduce trade costs. It examines the internet of things, artificial intelligence, 3-D printing and blockchain, and speculates how these things will affect global trade in the next 15 years. It looks at indicators on South Asia and other regions to help evaluate each region’s preparedness for the digital age.

This paper summarizes a study that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) undertook upon the request of the Government of Tamil Nadu, India. The state sought to become a preferred investment destination with an investor-friendly business climate. The study identified policy, institutional, and process reforms to improve the ease of doing business in Tamil Nadu, including institutional and regulatory reforms needed for the East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC) development. The study resulted in the implementation of an online single window mechanism that simplified and sped up processes for transparent and time-bound clearances for investors.

This report tracks the progress of regional cooperation and integration in Asia. It shows how intraregional trade grew in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. In South Asia, the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) has been focused on building multimodal connectivity to facilitate trade as one of its priorities. Its operational plan is being reviewed to better reflect regional project priorities in the region. SASEC is also studying how Myanmar, its newest member, is to be integrated as a vital link between South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. The chapter "Toward Optimal Provision of Regional Public Goods in Asia and the Pacific" looks at how collective action among countries can help find solutions for such transnational challenges as infrastructure connectivity, environmental degradation, and transnational health threats.

Amid a turbulent international environment, South Asia is expected to remain the fastest-growing region in the world. Growth in Bangladesh will be driven by consumption and public investment. In Bhutan, growth is expected to accelerate with the commissioning of two major hydropower projects. Growth in India firms up prompted by the adoption of the Goods and Services Tax and the recapitalization of banks. Maldives is projected to grow strongly based on dynamism in construction and tourism. Economic activity in Nepal is set to grow over the medium term while Sri Lanka’s economic growth will recover following 2017’s weather disruptions. The report highlights how growth performance is anchored on domestic consumption rather than private investment or exports.

India and Bangladesh use inland waterways to trade goods, mainly through three routes. The most active route is a portion of Protocol Route 1 between Kolkata, India, and Narayanganj, Bangladesh. This paper by Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) International explores how cross-border trade may be expanded along the stretch between Dhubri, India, and Chilmari, Bangladesh. Opening the route to small mechanized boats would offer livelihood opportunities to boat pilots, boat builders, vendors, small traders. Farmers will also have access to new markets across the border. The study highlights the need for an inclusive developmental approach that encourages cooperation in trade and connectivity and benefits marginalized communities.

This report takes an in-depth look at trade in South Asia and examines barriers that have held back trade in the subregion. It examines tariffs and para-tariffs, real and perceived non-tariff barriers, connectivity costs, and the broader trust deficit and outlines concrete steps for tapping trade potential through deeper integration. It offers policy recommendations that could help push key areas of trade that would be beneficial to all countries in the subregion.

This report presents key indicators on trade in goods and services, highlighting the major exports and imports for each economy as well as their main trading partners. It gives a snapshot of the importance of trade in the economy and gives information on total trade flows. The report includes trade profiles for 197 economies, including Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, and Nepal, and covers data on trade per capita, world ranking in exports and imports, and trade in commercial services. It also covers data on patent, trademark, and industrial design applications for each country. India ranks 8th in exports of commercial services, while Bangladesh ranks 49th in imports of merchandise. Sri Lanka ranks 69th in exports of commercial services.

This publication outlines key steps to launching Maldives’ national single window (NSW) platform. An archipelago, Maldives’ geographic dispersion contributes to logistics and border control challenges. An NSW on a digital platform will allow all trade stakeholders to submit and access information on importing and exporting goods in a single place. It will streamline international trade procedures, minimize the time, effort, and resources needed to conduct trade, while helping the government maintain requisite controls. With current bottlenecks to trade in Maldives leading to some of the highest import and export costs in the South Asian subregion, leveraging on information and communications technology will help the country overcome physical and logistical barriers to trade, and significantly improve efficiency. More efficient trade procedures can lower the costs of imports, exports, and goods, and help drive economic growth.

In India, foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows dropped from $44 billion in 2016 to $40 billion in 2017. Across South Asia, FDI inflows are predicted to stagnate or decline marginally in 2018. The global trend in FDI flows demonstrates the need for open, transparent, and non-discriminatory investment policies to maintain an environment conducive for investment. New types of industrial policies are emerging to respond to opportunities and challenges brought about by a new industrial revolution. This report examines investment policy tools available in the new environment.

South Asia is the world's fastest-growing region. The region has also shown significant reduction in poverty and income inequality owing to improved road transport, electricity, and sanitation. The growth is attributed partly to the improvement in infrastructure in Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka. Yet, to sustain growth and deal with climate change, the region must invest more to develop infrastructure in the next 15 years. This paper looks at public and private sector financing of infrastructure and discusses the factors driving infrastructure investment.

This report offers insights into how trade benefits the poor, those in rural areas, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, and women. It also shows how productivity and living standards could be raised through greater openness in key areas, such as services trade and e-commerce. The report goes on to suggest that trade policies should aim to build greater openness and urge countries to reinvest in open, rules-based global trade.

Author: International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and the World Trade Organization

This report presents the latest economic, financial, social, and environmental statistics for the 48 regional members of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). In 2017, foreign direct investment flows to developing Asia was stable, with 8.8% going to South Asia; energy gains were made in five of six countries in South Asia; and starting a business continues become easier in most developing ADB member economies following lowered regulatory costs and simplified compliance procedures. Nepal and Armenia experienced the most rapid annual growth rate at 7.5%, while India witnessed a 6.7% growth in GDP.

The Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal (BBIN) initiative focuses on establishing connectivity, which have helped foster regional trade and improve sustainable resource management. This publication contains discussions held at the Young Thinkers' Conference, entitled "BBIN: Opportunities and Challenges," held in 2017 in Kolkata, India. The section "Strengthening Connectivity in the BBIN" looks at how connectivity in the subregion could be increased through several measures that address a number of logistical handicaps. "BBIN: The Way Ahead" examines the need for cooperation among the countries to achieve collective growth.

The Bay of Bengal region is rising as an economic and strategic hub, with the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) playing a key role in promoting growth and development in the region. BIMSTEC is also being seen as a potential driver of integration between South Asia and Southeast Asia. Given Japan's relationship with BIMSTEC nations, this brief makes a case for deeper engagement between Japan and BIMSTEC. The benefits could include cooperation in infrastructure, connectivity, and energy projects. A free trade agreement between the two entities would also be mutually beneficial.

This Update forecasts 6.0% growth for the region in 2018 and 5.8% in 2019. In South Asia, economic outlook remains optimistic. The region is expected to sustain its growth momentum, and meet projections of 7.0% in 2018 and 7.2% in 2019. Forecast for India is maintained at 7.3% in 2018 and 7.6% in 2019. Robust investment climate in Bangladesh is driving projections from 7.0% to 7.9% in 2018 and 7.2% to 7.5% in 2019, and in Nepal, from 4.9% to 5.9% in 2018. A drop in domestic demand lowers growth projections for Bhutan, from 7.1% to 6.7% in 2018 and 7.4% to 7.1% in 2019, and Sri Lanka, from 4.2% to 3.8% in 2018 and 4.8% to 4.5% in 2019.

World Tariff Profiles 2018 presents comprehensive data on tariffs and non-tariff measures imposed by over 170 countries and customs territories. It provides data on tariffs imposed by these economies, in comparative tables and one-page profiles. This year's report presents a special analysis of least-developed countries’ (LDCs) use of preferential market access offered by trading partners. It highlights how LDCs benefit from preferential customs duties, and examines products eligible for preferential treatment, to show how members utilize preferential tariff schemes for LDCs and use other "competing" preferential duty arrangements.

Maldives is implementing reforms to improve risk management controls and to strengthen its trade environment. Risk management aims to determine which goods need to be examined in detail when entering a country. As government agencies improve service delivery, traders will benefit from reduced time to import and export goods, increased predictability of services, and greater ease of doing business. This report shows that improvements to risk management processes to deliver operational and economic gains in Maldives can be replicated across South Asia.

This book looks at how the economic benefits of investments in transport corridors could be amplified and how negative impacts could be minimized in South Asia. The book introduces an appraisal methodology that looks at the web of interconnected elements around corridors and assesses proposed corridors according to their potential to bring wider economic benefits (WEB). It uses case studies of past and recent corridor initiatives, and presents a simulation of the impact of the proposed Kolkata-Dhaka corridor.

Connecting to Compete summarizes the findings from the latest data from the 2018 Logistics Performance Index (LPI) and its six component indicators. The book aims to help countries frame policies by looking at supply chain performance and constraints in 100 countries, using data on time, distance and reliability; and ratings on domestic infrastructure quality, services, and border agencies. Among lower-middle-income countries, India stands among the top performers with an LPI score of 3.18 and ranked 44th.

South Asia uses only 20% its hydropower potential, estimated at more than 350 gigawatts. This report looks at regional electricity trade and examines the potential of hydropower development and trade in the region. It studies the importance of improving cross-border transmission interconnections to promote hydropower in South Asia. It also shows that large hydropower development would provide the additional benefits of irrigation and flood control that can be shared among neighboring countries, such as Bangladesh, India, and Nepal.

World Trade Statistical Review 2018 presents the latest developments in world trade, with analysis of recent trends for trade in goods and services. It looks at the performance of developing economies, where merchandise exports increased by 12% in 2017. The book also looks at value-added exchanges and digital trade, and provides data on trade-facilitating measures and on the implementation of regional trade agreements, such as the South Asian Free Trade Area.

This paper looks at the role of manufacturing in the East Asia’s development success. Part 2 of the paper examines country policies that have helped accelerate industrial development and learning. It also looks at the role of global value chains in Asia and the varied experiences of Asian countries with their industrial policies.

This study profiles the transport and logistics environment in Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) member countries. It also identifies transport-related strategies for achieving trade development goals in the region and suggests an institutional framework for implementing those strategies.

The Asia-Pacific region experienced rapid growth as inflation remained stable and firmer global demand supported a pickup in investments. In the South and South-West Asian subregion, there is an opportunity for greater trade integration. It is the fastest-growing subregion in Asia and the Pacific, with growth accelerating in all countries with the exception of India and Sri Lanka. In Bangladesh, large infrastructure projects and new energy initiatives drove strong domestic demand and backed the country’s robust growth.

Under its new long-term strategy, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) continues its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty while bringing focus to a vision of a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia-Pacific. ADB’s key operational priorities include the fostering of regional cooperation and integration, covering its support for enhancing connectivity and competitiveness, promoting regional public goods, and strengthening the financial sector cooperation. ADB also aims to strengthen subregional initiatives, such as the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Program.

The 51st ADB Annual Meeting in Manila gathered people from around the world to discuss the changes emerging on the development landscape. One seminar focused on promoting inclusive growth through inter-subregional cooperation, discussing the potential expansion and diversification of foreign direct investment of SMEs in the India and Mekong subregions.

Asia is the world’s largest e-commerce marketplace. In South Asia, India has the largest e-commerce market at $33 billion in 2017. Maldives, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka lead the subregion in terms of percentage of the population with access to the internet. This report introduces a framework for analyzing the quality of e-commerce development in the Asia-Pacific region and discusses lessons learned regarding e-commerce development. The framework incorporates economic factors, institutional environment, and social acceptance to assess e-commerce development and suggest the way forward.

Author: Asian Development Bank, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

This first part traces the structural transformation in developing Asia and analyzes the relationship between export-led growth model and industrialization. Finally, it reviews the industrialization experiences of Japan and the Republic of Korea, and discusses the recent deindustrialization debate.

South Asia continues to be the fastest expanding subregion, with growth on track to achieve forecasts of 7.0% in 2018 and 7.2% in 2019. India will meet April forecasts of 7.3% in 2018 and 7.6% in 2019. Owing to strong agricultural growth in Bangladesh and industry growth in Nepal, 2018 GDP growth in the two countries surpassed earlier forecasts. Decline in construction slowed Sri Lanka’s economic growth to 3.2% while hydropower production was lower than forecast in Bhutan. Cement, wood, and metal imports grew in Maldives.

High-speed railway in the People’s Republic of China exerts positive impact effects on growth, where a 1% increase in market access leads to an increase of 0.12% in real income. Drawing insights from the effects of transport infrastructure in India, this paper suggests that high-speed railway could help promote regional cooperation and stimulate regional economic growth.

Basic Statistics presents development indicators for 45 economies in the Asia and Pacific region, including those for the seven SASEC countries, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. It presents selected core indicators such as international and national poverty rates, inflation, and current account balance. It also presents information on indicators related to land, population, sustainable development goals, national accounts, money, balance of payments, reserves, external debt, and central government finance.

Policymakers face complex and challenging tasks to develop clear, sustainable, and achievable pathways for South Asian countries and the rest of Asia-Pacific to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for energy (SDG7). This report provides an analysis of what can be achieved under current policies. It then identifies gaps and presents transition pathways to assist policymakers to make informed decisions for achieving SDG7 targets.

Author: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

The report details the needed energy technologies and analyzes the costs and benefits of energy transition in Asia and the rest of the world. All regions are projected to experience high growth in gross domestic product from the energy transformation. Mexico, Brazil, and India are expected to post the highest welfare gains, where pollution’s impact on health is projected to fall sharply. To accelerate the energy transition, governments could establish more bilateral and multilateral demonstration projects and encourage development of internationally harmonized technical standards to facilitate cross-border trade and exchange of technologies.

Trade Costs, Time, and Supply Chain Reliability analyzes the effect of time on trade costs using shipment-level data from the Universal Postal Union. Distance and logistics performance are factors that affect transport times and uncertainty, which increase trade costs substantially. The paper suggests that by investing in improving connectivity, South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation countries could reduce transport times and increase reliability to major markets.

This paper uses a panel-based analysis to construct an Asia-Pacific Regional Cooperation and Integration Index (ARCII) to better track the progress of economic integration in the region. The index shows that trade and investment and movement of people are the main drivers of regional integration in Asia and the Pacific from 2006 to 2016. Asia comes second to the European Union in progress on regional integration.

Developing Asia is forecast to expand by 6.0% in 2018 and 5.9% in 2019. Growth in South Asia is expected to be revived after a two-year slowdown. India is expected to bounce back to 7.3% in 2018 and 7.6% in 2019 owing to the effects of tax and banking reforms and corporate deleveraging. Growth will be strong in the rest of South Asia, with a forecast of 7.0% in 2018 and 7.2% in 2019, but expansion will be affected in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka following a need to carry out revenue-enhancing fiscal reform and to strengthen economic policy. Inflation forecast in South Asia is 4.7% in 2018 and raised to 5.1% in 2019.

This publication provides statistics on renewable power generation capacity for the last decade. It gives figures for global capacity, capacity per region, and capacity per country, including those for Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Figures include those for total energy generation capacity, total renewable capacity, and capacity by energy source (hydropower, wind energy, solar energy, etc.).

This report, developed by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank, reviews the major challenges in achieving energy access, efficiency, and renewable energy objectives at the regional and country levels. It looks at the growing support for regional connectivity as well as technical and political challenges to furthering cross-border power trade.

Author: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Regulations for e-commerce is evolving in India and the rest of the world. This paper traces the growth of the e-commerce sector in India, developments in the WTO, and India’s position. It finds that while trade rules in India are more liberal than in other countries, India needs to address gaps and inconsistencies in the regulations. It also recommends that India join the negotiations on trade rules.

This issue of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) newsletter covers the fifth Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development and its calls for greater regional collaboration. It also features a report on how digital trade facilitation could cut trade costs in Asia-Pacific by $673 billion annually.

Author: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

This report introduces the Energy Transition Index, which looks at the performance of energy systems in 114 countries and their readiness to transition to a secure, sustainable, affordable, and inclusive future energy system. The report shows that India has been improving electricity access. It also encourages countries to benchmark themselves against comparable groups in terms of development status and energy trade balance to identify best practices and develop applicable improvement plans.

This paper looks at trade and its effects on innovation. Its analysis of firm-level data from Bangladesh, India, and Nepal shows that shorter trade times add competitive pressure from world markets and induces firms to innovate, hence associated with introduction of new products and new management systems. The results suggest that policies that improve trade facilitation would support long-term growth in South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation countries.

This paper asserts that advances in information technology have allowed companies to know more about individual consumers. This has challenged theories that assume consumers to be identical, where goods and services that enter regional value chains are slow to respond to changing demands. The paper predicts that countries and firms will succeed depending on how they will integrate consumer information into the process of value addition.

This book looks at the impact of infrastructure investment on economic and social indicators, and shows how infrastructure investment can increase output, taxes, trade, and firm productivity. One study in the book shows that trade facilitation reforms in South Asia resulted in increased intraregional trade and trade with other regions. The book proposes innovative modes of financing for infrastructure needed to drive sustainable growth.

This paper reviews literature estimating the impact of large transport investments. It reviews 78 studies, 11 of which centers on infrastructure projects in India. The paper looks at the economic benefits of transport infrastructure projects to better understand how corridors could generate wider economic benefits, with a focus on roads, rails, and waterways. The review assesses the impact of transport corridor projects on economic welfare and equity, environmental quality, and social inclusion, and suggests a need for policies and institutions that address trade-offs.

As new modes of trade emerge from developments in the digital economy, new regulatory concerns arise regarding privacy, ensuring tax neutrality across different modes of trade, and competition. This paper considers the different approaches to these issues by different countries and country partnerships. It studies modes of trade in the digital era, categorizes concerns identified by stakeholders and governments, and reviews how regional trade agreements are working to address these concerns.

This paper studies of the effect of the implementation of World Trade Agreement Trade Facilitation Agreement (WTO TFA) measures on trade costs in the Asia-Pacific region. Its analysis shows that full implementation of measures is associated with 15% reduction in trade cost. The paper also projects a 26% decrease in trade costs, amounting to $600 billion annually, with the full implementation of WTO TFA measures together with digital trade facilitation measures. It also looks at the need to develop legal and technical frameworks to support cross-border paperless trade, including the legal recognition of trade data and documents between public and private organizations in different countries.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) 2017 Annual Report details ADB’s operations, activities, and financial results over the year. In South Asia, finance ministers from South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) member countries launched the SASEC Vision, which sets a long-term strategy for inclusive growth for the region. ADB also signed seven SASEC projects worth a combined $1.33 billion, bringing SASEC’s cumulative investment portfolio to $10.72 billion. ADB helped form SASEC working groups for cross-border trade and supported economic corridors in Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka to facilitate trade and investment in South Asia.

This report provides analytical insights and empirical evidence on foreign direct investment’s (FDI) drivers and contributions to economic transformation. Data are categorized by sector and geographic origin and destination of investment, including analysis for SASEC countries using data for Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The report explores the potential of FDI to create growth for local firms, assesses the effectiveness of fiscal incentives in attracting FDI, and gives practical recommendations to developing countries.